Creating a Bitangent Circle (with Two Elements)

You can create a circle by selecting any two elements to which circle is to be tangent.

  1. From the Create section of the action bar, click Circle .
  2. In the Circle type list, select Bitangent and radius.
  3. In the Element 1 and Element 2 boxes, select the two elements (point or curve) to which the circle is to be tangent.
  4. In the Support box, select a surface.

    Note: To project the circle onto the support plane or surface, click .

    Tip: If one of the selected inputs is a planar curve, the Support is set to Default (Plane). If an explicit Support needs to be defined, a context menu is available to clear the selection in order to select the desired support. This automatic support definition saves you from performing useless selections.

  5. In the Radius box, enter the radius value or use the arrows to change the value.

    Note: To switch to diameter, click .

    As several solutions may be possible, click the region where you want the circle to be. Depending on the active Circle Limitations icon, the corresponding circle or circular arc is displayed. For a circular arc, you can specify the trimmed or complementary arc using the two tangent points as end points.



  6. Click to trim the element.
  7. To specify the axis computation mode, select the Axis computation check box.
  8. To specify the center computation mode, select the Center computation check box.
  9. Click to select the other circular arc that is suitable for current specifications.
  10. Click OK to create the circle or circular arc.
    The circle (identified as Circle.xxx ) is added to the tree.